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Shy Satsuki Shinohara's plan for a big high school debut are almost ruined by a pervert on the train, but she's saved by none other than the "gangster" student in her class, Yamaguchi-kun. He's already got a bad rap with the other students, and though Satsuki tries to approach him, he seems to always weasel out of her grasp. But she's not one to let a challenge daunt her, and she's out to prove that Yamaguchi-kun is so much more than he's cracked up to be.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2020

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Yuu Saiki

13 books9 followers

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5 stars
233 (37%)
4 stars
242 (39%)
3 stars
123 (19%)
2 stars
16 (2%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
Profile Image for Mark.
3,080 reviews305 followers
August 13, 2021
Satsuki is rescued from a train groper by the rough looking Yamaguchi, who everybody thinks is a gangster. Turns out he’s actually a perfect student, but nobody can get past his rough exterior. Satsuki sees him for what he is though, and they might see one another in a whole other light soon…

Phew, well, this book happened. And now it is done. And I, too, am done with it. This book has enough charm to make me not dislike it, but it’s also got a banality to it that comes from Xeroxing every single story beat you expect from these ‘oh he seems shady but he’s really nice’ stories.

Seriously, if you plan to step into the ring with shojo stalwarts like Those Not-So-Sweet Boys or When We’re In Love, or any other book that has a character who isn’t what they appear, you best bring your A-game and this book might be doing its best, but for me it’s really not doing enough.

Yamaguchi is scary, everybody thinks the wrong thing, Satsuki sees him for who he really is, they grow closer, repeat. It’s not all bad - there’s a great moment at the PE storage that ends up being very polite in reality but gets twisted around completely by the students involved. Our pair’s burgeoning relationship is a lot more equal than we typically get, which isn’t terrible either.

It’s just that there is absolutely nothing here you probably haven’t seen before, from the pointless jealousy caused by assumptions to the other jerk who turns out to not be as jerk as originally suspected (this guy ends up being the most unique character I’ve seen just because of how nonsensical his actions are).

It is perfectly fine and totally nice in every way and if you needed something new in terms of a series, if not content, then this will do you just fine. There’s just… only so much you can do with this to make it novel and it isn’t really doing any of it. Honestly there’s not much more I can say about it.

3 stars, largely for being decent and inoffensive. For my money, this type of story has never been done better when it wasn’t even a shojo and it was called Toradora!. And Yamaguchi is no Ryuji any more than Satsuki is Taiga.
Profile Image for Jen.
3,678 reviews27 followers
September 25, 2021
Really cute and adorable and I loved it! On to the next, only two in the series have been translated I think, so I’m going to be waiting for the next ones. 4.5, worth the wait, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
4,649 reviews69 followers
December 3, 2021
If someone asked for a template for a high school shoujo romance, I would hand them this. It's not bad, just intensely typical.
Profile Image for Kaitlynne.
1,701 reviews53 followers
September 17, 2024
Had to do a re-read of this series because I can't remember what's happened.

I have a soft spot for delinquents with a heart of gold and blush a lot. Yamaguchi is precious and needs to be protected at all costs.
Profile Image for Rereader.
1,470 reviews225 followers
March 31, 2022
This wasn't bad, but horribly boring. The main leads aren't particularly interesting, the main conflict has been done a dozen times but better in other series, and the art is passable. Maybe if this was someone's first shoujo manga featuring the "rough looking guy with a secret heart of gold" it would be fine, but as a seasoned veteran this did nothing for me. Read it if you want, it doesn't having anything offensive or problematic in it, but because it's skating by doing the absolute bare minimum, it's also not interesting.
Profile Image for Lissa Hawley.
1,449 reviews29 followers
August 14, 2021
Apparently just the sort of adorable, wholesome school manga I was in the mood for.
Profile Image for Ezgi T.
417 reviews1,121 followers
June 4, 2022
It was just fine--not bad, but also not particularly good.
Profile Image for Noortje.
550 reviews12 followers
March 21, 2023
very basic shoujo but fun enough. Yamaguchi's hair is ugly tho it's the weirdest thing but it bothers me lol like it feels a bit too detailed for the rest of his face and compared to the other characters.
Profile Image for Dxdnelion.
384 reviews18 followers
April 17, 2023
It's very very cute. Both characters are adorable. However, since its intensely typical shoujo romance plot, this one does not make a strong impression. But still, it doesn't mean it's bad, just decent enough for me to try for another volume.

3.7 🌟
Profile Image for anggia.
640 reviews122 followers
May 10, 2023
this manga is so sweet im crying bc the author is taking hiatus😭
Profile Image for Shibosan .
298 reviews9 followers
June 17, 2026
3 ⭐️ - the first 11 volumes

In her first week of high school, 15-year-old Satsuki Shinohara encountered a pervert on the subway. The guy who saved her from the harassment turned out to be her classmate Yamaguchi, a boy with a dubious reputation. Behind his back, rumors spread that he's the son of a yakuza from Kansai, and Yamaguchi's appearance and demeanor - his bleached hair, earrings, and the ferocious expression that regularly appears on his face - helped spread the rumors. But Satsuki wasn't afraid of him, thanking him for saving her and inviting him to become friends.

And then, as expected, appearances proved deceiving. Yamaguchi wasn't a delinquent at all, but a straight-A student and a good guy, who make faces out of embarrassment, nervousness, and similar situations when he's deep in thought. But when he smiles and laughs heartily, he's downright charming. So, naturally, Shinohara wanted to show this hidden side of Yamaguchi to his classmates, so he wouldn't be the loner outcast who was the subject of ridiculous rumors. And so she did, falling head over heels in love along the way.

If I were to summarize this series, I'd say, "It's like ちょろくてかわいい君が好き 1 Chorokute Kawaii Kimi ga Suki 1 , but worse." Which is rather ironic, because this series is much more popular - a live-action adaptation was recently released. But, indeed, it follows the same common plot in the genre: a shy and unremarkable girl's relationship with a "delinquent", and his gradual transformation from a lone wolf, shunned by everyone, into the life of the party.

But this version is like hospital oatmeal - watery and not particularly nutritious, even if slightly sweetened. It starts off promisingly enough, but the mangaka tries to tick as many trope boxes as possible, constantly time-skipping between them. One minute we're on a school field trip, then whoosh - it's a fireworks festival, then whoosh - it's Sports Day, a birthday date, a cultural festival, Christmas, and other traditional milestones. Because of this, the main characters' relationships feel a bit rushed and don't evoke the emotion they could, and they hardly experience any conflicts or challenges.

This wouldn't be such a problem with more vibrant protagonists, but Satsuki and Yamaguchi, while a cute couple, are also a bit "watery." Shinohara is a completely generic shoujo heroine, with almost no uniqueness. The only thing that can be noted is that she's a little bolder and more decisive than many heroines in the genre. Where they would blush, mumble, and then go quiet, she blushes, mumbles, but then steps forward and says what she thinks and does what she wants, and that's generally quite refreshing, if not unique.

Yamaguchi, outside of his gimmicky facial expressions, isn't a particularly deep or original character either - a loving and caring boyfriend, at times annoyingly jealous (the obligatory "I don't want other guys to see you like this") and constantly trying to feign stoicism, despite the fact that his main strength is his genuine emotions, which occasionally burst forth, but that's a purely Japanese thing, not his own.

He also constantly tries to suppress not only his emotions and embarrassment, but also his desires for Shinohara. Yes, it's a pretty horny manga, and Satsuki's boldness only adds to horniness. And while it never gets anywhere serious, there's plenty of talks and angst about it. In general, modern shoujo seems to have become much more relaxed in this regard compared to titles from 10-15 years ago.

The only fresh idea in this shoujo was the "second guy" who had a crush on... Yamaguchi. Well, it wasn't exactly a true crush crush; more like a tsundere superfan jealous of the main character, but at least it was something fresh. Unfortunately, in the end, everything still went down the familiar path, where he "saw" Shinohara and fell in love.

"Yamaguchi-kun" isn't the kind of title that will have you devouring volume after volume due to its captivating plot, or where you'll fall in love with the characters and never want to put them down. But it's an easy read, the characters aren't offensive, and overall they're quite likable - perfect for an evening read when you're bored and craving something relaxed and enjoyable. I'd say you shouldn't expect more, but judging by the high ratings on Goodreads, I could very well be wrong. To each their own.
_________________

На первой же неделе в старшей школе 15-летняя Сацуки Шинохара столкнулась с извращенцем в вагоне метро. Человеком, который спас ее от домогательств оказался ее одноклассник Ямагучи, парень с неоднозначной репутаций. За спиной о нем поговаривают, что он приехавший из Кансая сын якудза, а распространению слухов очень помогает внешность и поведение Ямагучи - обесцвеченный хаер, серьги в ушах и зверское выражение, которое регулярно появляется на его лице. Но Сацуки не убоялась его, поблагодарив за спасение и предложив ему стать друзьями.

А дальше все как положено - внешность оказалась обманчивой, Ямагучи оказался вовсе не хулиган, а круглый отличник и хороший парень, а рожи он корчит от смущения, волнения, когда крепко задумывает и в тому подобных ситуациях. Зато когда улыбается и от души смеется - то просто обаяшка. Так что Шинохаре, конечно, захотелось показать эту скрытую сторону Ямагучи одноклассникам, чтобы он перестал быть изгоем-одиночкой, про которого распускают нелепые слухи. Этим она и занялась, попутно влюбляясь по уши.

Если кратко описать эту серию, то я бы сказал "Это как Чорокуте, но хуже". Что довольно иронично, потому что эта серия куда популярнее - на днях вышла лайв-адаптация. Но, действительно, тут тот же нередкий в жанре сюжет про отношения скромной и неприметной девчонки с "хулиганом", и постепенное превращение его из волка-одиночки, которого все сторонятся, в душу компании.

Вот только эта версия, как больничная овсянка - жиденькая и не слишком питательная, пусть и слегка подслащенная. Начинается все довольно многообещающе, но мангака стремится проставить галочки в как можно большем количестве троповых чекбоксов, устраивая между ними постоянные таймскипы. Только что у нас была школьная экскурсия, как вжух - уже фестиваль фейерверков, вжух - дальше День Спорта, день рождения, культурный фестиваль, Рождество и прочие традиционные вехи. Из-за этого отношения главных героев кажутся немного торопливыми и не вызывают тех эмоций, какие могли бы, к тому же никаких конфликтов и вызовов им переживать практически не приходится.

Это не было бы такой проблемой, при более ярких и полнокровных главных героях, но и по этой части проблема. Сацуки и Ямагучи хоть и симпатичная пара, но тоже слегка "жидковаты". Шинохара - совершенно типовая героиня сездзе, в которой почти нет никакой изюминки. Единственное что можно отметить, что она чуть более смелая и решительная, чем многие героини жанра. Там где они был заливались румянцем, мямлили бы что-то и затихали, она заливается румянцем , мямлит, но потом делает шаг вперед и говорит то, что думает, и делает то, что хочет сделать, и это в целом довольно свежо, хоть и не уникально.

Ямагучи за пределами своего гиммика со страшными выражениями лица тоже не сильно глубокий и оригинальный персонаж - любящий и заботливый бойфренд, временами раздражающе ревнивый (обязательное "я не хочу чтобы другие парни видели тебя такой") и постоянно зачем-то пытающий изображать невозмутимого стоика, при том что главный его плюс - это искренние эмоции, временами прорывающиеся наружу, но это уже чисто японская ебанина, а не его персональная.

А еще он постоянно пытается подавить не только свои эмоции и смущение, но свои желания по отношению к Шинохаре. Да, это довольно таки хорни манга, и решительность Сацуки тут только льет воду на эту мельницу. И хотя до чего-то совсем серьезного дело так и не доходит, но обсуждений и терзаний по этому поводу предостаточно. В целом современное седзе, похоже, в этом плане стало куда раскованнее, по сравнению с тайтлами 10-15летней давности.

Единственной свежей идеей в этом сёдзё был "второй парень", у которого был краш в... Ямагучи. Ну, не то чтобы это был прямо настоящий крашевый краш, скорее он был его суперфанатом-цундере, ревнующим к главной героине, но это было хотя бы что-то свежее. К сожалению, в конце концов, всё равно всё пошло по привычному пути, где он «разглядел» Шинохару и влюбился.

"Ямагучи-кун" это не тот тайтл, где вы будете увлеченно проглатывать том за томом из-за увлекательного сюжета, или где вы влюбитесь в персонажей, с которыми потом не захочется расставаться. Но он читается легко, персонажи не вызывают негатива и в целом довольно симпатичны - самое то, чтобы на досуге вечерком прочитать томик, когда нечем больше занять себя и хочется чего-то ненапряжного и приятного. На большее рассчитывать не стоит, сказал бы я, но глядя на высокие оценки на Гудридс, вполне может быть что я не прав. Каждому свое.
Profile Image for Laura.
535 reviews39 followers
August 19, 2021
This manga had me cracking up! I found their awkward friendship so realistic, it really made me think back to when I was in high school and how I interacted with the boys in my class. Yamaguchi-kun's scary faces are the best~ the comedy in here is gold.

Fun fact: I "read" (with my limited knowledge) the first chapter in Japanese and I immediately found out it just got licensed in English! I've never been so in tune with publishers before lol
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.9k reviews464 followers
June 12, 2023
A guy who looks like yakuza, a girl who wants to know more about him, and lots of fun!


One of my 80 Kodansha manga! I just had to read this one, it sounded so much fun and I was curious to get to know Yamaguchi-kun!

Meet Satsuki. She has big plans for high school, but right on the first day is harassed by a pervert on the train, and that is where she meets Yamaguchi-kun! And makes it her goal to get everyone to understand that he is a good guy. He just looks scary. I just loved how she tried to help him out, sometimes it was a bit much and sometimes it made me laugh, but for most I just adored that she kept trying, that she was telling peeps everything was right. And yes, she also got angry because people just kept judging Yamaguchi. Spreading rumours and the likes. I loved how she got closer to him with each chapter. She was just the sweetest and I was rooting for her.

And yes, Yamaguchi does look like a gangster/yakuza at times. OK, well, almost always. He is sad? He looks like he will kill you. He is worried? His looks could kill. He smiles? Run. Run. But actually Yamaguchi is just a kind and friendly guy who is also the top of his class. I just liked him so much and I loved that he was offered quite a few chances with people. I do hope that as the story progresses he has even more friends, because he deserves it. I do hope that he also practices his facial expressions, haha. You don’t want to smile at someone and scare them to death after all. 😂

And there is something more. You can clearly see that these two should just get to dating. They have chemistry and we see both are developing some strong feelings. I just loved seeing Yamaguchi when he got a big case of the love feels over him. I wonder how long it is before he confesses. I hope he does!

The art was really fun and I love how Yamaguchi is drawn.

All in all, I need more of this manga. I need to know if Satsuki’s campaign is a success, I want to see Yamaguchi get more friends, and oh yes, these two need to get dating.

Review first posted https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for Sayuri Correia.
96 reviews2 followers
March 12, 2021
もう何これ?おもろいし可愛いし胸キュンすぎるやろ!❤️
Profile Image for Christy.
914 reviews38 followers
December 21, 2021
A delinquent who's a straight A student and a huge teddy bear with a mean face? Rip my heart out and feed me to the wolves, this is my weakness 😭
Profile Image for Thursday,nightmare.
175 reviews8 followers
January 7, 2025
รีวิว: ซัทสึกิจัง นักเรียนชั้นม.ปลายปี 1 ที่มีเพื่อนร่วมห้องหน้าตาน่ากลัว และดูไม่น่าคบอย่างยามากุจิคุง ได้มีโอกาสพูดคุยกับยามากุจิคุงเพราะเขามาช่วยเธอไว้จากตาลุงที่จะลวนลามเธอบนรถไฟ ซัทสึกิจังเป็นคนเดียวที่ได้เห็นมุมน่ารัก อ่อนโยน ใจดีของเขา เลยขอเป็นเพื่อนกับเขา และพยายามปกป้องเขาเวลามีใครพูดจาไม่ดีใส่ ยามากุจิคุงชอบมีเพื่อนร่วมห้งอคนหนึ่ง อิชิซากิคุงพูดจาแย่ๆ ใส่ แต่กลับทำไปเพราะอยากเป็นเพื่อนด้วย ไม่ได้ทำไปเพราะเกลียด (เป็นเด็กรึไง?) ในช่วงเดินทางไกลทั้งคู่เลยได้กลายเป็นเพื่อนกัน 

ยามากุจิคุงเป็นนักเรียนดีเด่น ตลก และ laid back มากๆ พอเจอนางเอกที่นิยามตัวเองว่าจืดชืดพยายามเอาตัวเองเข้ามายุ่มย่ามในชีวิตก็เลยมีออกอาการใจเต้นตึกตักตั้งแต่เล่มแรก เนื้อเรื่องค่อนข้าง fast pace มาก เหมือนอ่านการ์ตูนแก๊กไปด้วย โชโจะ in average ไปด้วย เหมือนตอนอ่านเรื่อง Mr.Yano’s ordinary day แต่อันนี้มันเร็วกว่านิดนึง 

ซัทสึกิขัง ที่เรายังจำนามสกุลไม่ได้ วางตัวเองให้เป็นบุคคลจืดจางตั้งแต่ม.ต้น แต่จริงๆ เป็นคนที่มีความกล้ามากในตัว เป็นพวกที่ใช้วลี carpe diem ในการใช้ชีวิต ขนาดว่าโดนห้ามแล้วก็ยังทำ เพราะถ้าไม่ทำก็ไม่รู้ว่าวันไหนจะได้มีโอกาสทำให้ยามากุจิคุงเป็นที่รัก เป็นนางเอกเท่ๆ อีกคน แต่จืดจริง 5555 ชอบการออกแบบตัวละครให้แสนธรรมดา แต่มีพลัง

Profile Image for Emylia.
395 reviews
July 1, 2022
A guy being portrayed relatively normal and in positive way in shojo manga? You are in the right place.

Glad that I found a pure romance between teenagers after reading some unpure ones that I just want to erase from the inside of my brain. Love the fluffy dose of cuteness cause and I’m soft for the characters already.

Yamaguchi wore a scary expression and looked like a delinquent, but he's actually a good dude and a good student. Perfect manga to cleanse my brain! The ML’s personality make it easy to fall for him and I also love how straightforward both of the main characters are. They kinda straight up flirting at this point.
Profile Image for Valentina.
282 reviews6 followers
December 29, 2020
El dibujo es hermosísimo. La historia es demasiado tierna y mucho más el hecho que entona a Yamaguchi respecto a que es un Yakuza. Es un chico lindo y tierno qué solo mantiene su rostro algo duro debido a qué no expresa mucho amabilidad, es de facciones toscas pero de corazón gigante.
Y Satsuki... ella es hermosa, ambos se complementan bastante bien y la manera en que se esfuerza porque todos vean que él no es tan temible es adorable.🥺
Profile Image for givememycheetos.
603 reviews17 followers
March 30, 2021
100000⭐️
AAAAAAAAAA QUE COSA PARA MAS HERMOSA Y TIERNAAAAA, literal esto es lo que quiero que adapten para anime, ESTO.

Aparte de Uruwashi no Yoi no tsuki hace tiempo que no sentía que un manga shojo fuera 5/5⭐️. Que tuviera romance, comedia y que fuera asi de wholesome. Ay no, es hermoso.

Me encanta.
Profile Image for ℂ ✧.
2,570 reviews
December 14, 2023
Entenc que la gent pugui titllar de previsible aquesta sèrie, però no sé què esperaven amb el títol i la coberta ^^' estic d'acord que la premissa està força suada, però els protagonistes tenen encant, el ritme és encertat, les il·lustracions són maques, expressives i encaixen amb el gènere... Ho té tot per ser una lectura amena sense pretensions no complicacions, ben cuqui :3
Profile Image for Jess.
221 reviews
March 21, 2022
This was highly entertaining and it's really not the most original thought we've encountered having a misinterpreted ML. But it's always entertaining to read something like this. I also like or FL even though she's your typical shoujo heroine.
Profile Image for Niche.
1,204 reviews
August 20, 2022
Pretty much a total cliché for the plot of nice guy mistaken for bad guy. The first volume was fairly platonic and fun with the mistaken impressions, but it looks like romance is inevitable later so I probably won't be continuing.
Profile Image for Remna M.
381 reviews8 followers
July 27, 2026
I was very close to dropping the series, but once I started reading on, I just couldn’t stop. I love stories like this where a character who’s usually misunderstood starts to get a chance to show who they truly are and be accepted for who they are.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews